Sounds like whoever said that KARMEX was "discontinued" is equally misleading customers about the appropriate and legal uses of diuron (btw - the active-ingredients in both products are IDENTICAL - "diuron"). I'm guessing the supplier simply sells the cheaper generic diuron for the same price as the "discontinued" brand-name KARMEX - and pockets the difference.
To this day, DuPont continues to sell their KARMEX brand of diuron, and has done so for over 50 years. However, offshore producers of cheaper generic diuron (of questionable quality and components) are heavily diluting US sales of KARMEX.
Regardless, I could envision diuron following chlordane's path to banishment due to persistent misuse in private ponds - especially as ground water monitoring becomes more critical, efficient and scrutinized. Imagine having your water-well condemned due to diuron contamination. Talk about real estate devaluation!
Regarding the misuse of diuron (by any name) for pond-treatments, here's an illustrative comparison to ponder. Chemotherapy generally kills cancer cells in a patient much more selectively than diuron kills offending algae and weeds in a pond. Yet, in the process, both treatments exact a heavy toll on the well being of the host. Unfortunately, ponds can't provide feedback in an easily understood language.
